Special
by Dismal00
Summary: Sakura knows that Naruto's happiness is the most important thing to her. To protect it, she makes a decision that Naruto doesn't feel he can possibly accept. They then depart on a fateful journey where Naruto learns of the quiet care that Sakura has always had for him.
1. Chapter 1

It was six months after the war had ended, and Sakura was walking home from her job at the hospital. She turned a corner and noticed Naruto leaning against a wall across from a training field, seemingly lost in thought.

At the end of the war, Sakura had difficulty connecting with either Sasuke or Naruto. Sasuke had told her that he needed space and that he would see her when he returned. She watched him leave with a smile, happy that he was a changed person, but feeling no closer to him than she was previously. Naruto had told her that he was going to start focusing on training to become Hokage, feeling like an important chapter of his life had come to an end. Though Team 7 had been reunited, the pinkette felt more distant from both of them than ever before.

Though she still saw Naruto, she wasn't able to spend anywhere near as much time with him as she used to. It had been a week since she last saw him and she sorely missed his company. She occasionally saw him with Hinata. She didn't get the impression that they were very close yet, but she wished Naruto would spend that time with her instead. He had been such a close friend to her, but ever since the war ended, she could feel a distance growing between them. She knew that as time passed, Naruto was shutting himself off from her. But she didn't know what to do about it as she walked up to him.

"Hey, Naruto."

Naruto turned his head and noticed her for the first time. He smiled weakly.

"Oh, hi, Sakura."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Just Sakura? You aren't calling me Sakura-chan anymore?"

"Yeah, I guess it's not really appropriate anymore. I've been hearing things."

Sakura looked at Naruto with a confused expression.

"But, Naruto... We've been friends for such a long time. Why does it matter what other people think of how you address me?"

Naruto looked away, seeming somewhat troubled as well.

"I don't know. It's not like I call Hinata Hinata-chan. And I guess since you're waiting for Sasuke to come back, I'm not supposed to be like that towards you."

Sakura thought about this. She supposed that this explanation made sense. But she wondered what this whole thing meant to Naruto.

"Well, it doesn't sound right to me. Wait, have you ever called any other girl by -chan?"

Naruto's eyes moved up and to the left as he pondered this. He met Sakura's gaze again before replying.

"No, I don't think I ever have."

"I don't let anyone else call me that, either. I remember back in the day, I tried to get you to stop, but you never did. So I just got used to it."

Naruto grinned sheepishly. Sakura couldn't resist smiling as well.

"Hehe... Sorry about that."

"It's fine, Naruto. Like I said, it sounds strange if you don't."

"I guess I made it a habit."

The pinkette narrowed her eyes at Naruto.

"Even now, this is weird. Normally you say my name often when we're talking. But since you aren't used to saying just 'Sakura', you haven't been saying it at all. It's strange to not hear Sakura-chan from you. Why did you start calling me that anyway?"

He stared blankly back at her.

"Sakura-chan... You know why."

"Well, tell me anyway."

"Because I had a crush on you. I really liked you."

Sakura nodded. She was well aware of this fact. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"So you started calling me that because you liked me, but now it's just out of habit?"

The blonde looked somewhat surprised at the question. He waited a few seconds before replying.

"No... I don't think it's only out of habit."

"Well, why else do you do it, then?"

Naruto sighed. After a moment, he regarded Sakura with a sad smile.

"I guess it's because... You're special to me."

Sakura's eyes widened. She looked at him seriously and spoke in a soft voice.

"What do you mean by special?"

Naruto's smile slowly morphed into something more genuine as he thought about how to respond.

"I mean that no one else is really like you, Sakura-chan. To me, you're amazing at everything you do and I love being around you."

Sakura stared at him in shock for a few moments, gears turning inside her head. Naruto watched her nervously.

"Naruto... You're special to me too..."

Naruto's smile took on sad characteristics again.

"That's nice of you to say, Sakura-chan."

Sakura looked at Naruto with an expression that was half annoyed and the other half devastated.

"No... I mean it...! You're irreplaceable for me... It... It always makes me happy when you call me Sakura-chan. I never want that to change. Why can't you keep calling me Sakura-chan? Why does it feel like we're saying goodbye?"

Naruto flinched, but kept smiling at her painfully.

"I don't think things can stay the same, Sakura-chan. We'll always be friends, but we're supposed to walk our own paths now."

The annoyance faded and Sakura just looked devastated.

"But... I don't want to leave you."

Naruto's sad smile faded and he frowned at her.

"Sakura-chan... I don't get it. Are you sure we're talking about the same thing?"

Sakura gave him an exasperated look.

"I... don't know! All I know is that I don't like this! You're telling me that you have to distance yourself from me because of, I assume, Hinata and Sasuke-kun. I'm saying I don't want you to do that!"

"But... I have to."

Sakura was surprised to feel tears welling up in her eyes.

"Why? Why do you have to?"

"Because... Can't you just accept it? It's not something we can change, Sakura-chan. Please don't make me explain it."

"No... Tell me, Naruto."

Naruto took a deep breath as Sakura watched him with her watery eyes.

"Well... I treated you that way because I loved you. I showed you that kind of affection because it was natural to me. Because that's how I felt towards you. So things can't stay the same, because if they do then that would mean I'd still be in love with you... And I can't love you because you're supposed to be with Teme and I'm supposed to be with Hinata."

"Oh..."

Sakura looked down contemplatively. Naruto watched her miserably.

"I'm sorry... I wish things were different."

The pinkette looked up at him.

"Do... Do you still love me?"

Naruto sighed in response.

"Yeah... I guess I still do."

Sakura's eyes lit up. She looked at him determinedly.

"Then it's not too late! Let's figure out what we should do about this."

Naruto gazed at her blankly.

"Sakura-chan... What is there to figure out? You don't love me. You love Sasuke."

"Okay, but he isn't here. If you love me, why are you just letting him win? You've already done so much for him."

The blonde frowned.

"It has nothing to do with him... I wanted you to be happy."

"And you think he's going to make me happy?"

"I don't know if he will or not... It's not up to me."

"So you don't know if I'll be happy with him, but you're letting me be with him anyway? Don't you care what happens to me?"

"Of course I do... It's just that you always wanted to be with him. I'm sure you'll be happy once you are. I'm not going to stand in the way of that."

Sakura looked at Naruto seriously.

"Naruto, do you really believe that I'll be happy with him? If you do, then I'll try to accept this. I won't cry or complain anymore, and you don't have to call me Sakura-chan if you don't want to."

"I... don't know. I guess I really don't have any idea."

"Okay, then I'll ask again. If you love me, why aren't you fighting for me?"

"I guess I don't feel like it's a fight I can win. You always loved him."

Sakura grinned playfully.

"Yes, because you always ran away from fights that it didn't seem like you could win in the past."

"Seriously... I didn't think I had a chance."

"That never stopped you before. Why did it stop you this time?"

"It shouldn't have... I don't know. I just kept telling myself I needed to let you be happy with him."

The playful smile disappeared from Sakura's face.

"Naruto... I hate people who lie to themselves."

Naruto gave her a surprised look before sighing.

"When I said that... I was lying."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"So you actually really liked people who lie to themselves?"

"No, but I loved you, regardless of whether you lied to yourself or not."

"Why did you say that to me, then? That really hurt me."

"Because you still loved Sasuke. I knew I could bring him back, and I didn't want you to be unhappy."

"Protecting my happiness again? It's not your job to make everyone else happy, Naruto."

Naruto gazed off into the distance.

"I dunno. I've always had a low opinion of myself from how I was treated for being the host of Kurama, so I guess I've always looked out for other people before myself."

The pinkette watched him with hurt eyes.

"Naruto... Why is it that I'm never able to do anything? I told Sasuke-kun that I loved him and that I would do my best to make him happy if he stayed, but he left anyway. Then when Sai said that you loved me, I thought about how much you were suffering over everything that was happening. I wanted to make things better for you, so I told you that I loved you. But you got so angry when I said that. So I tried to be there for Sasuke-kun again, but he still didn't want me. Even now, I'm not sure he does. Am I really so unwanted?"

"I'm sure he'll come around eventually."

"But what if he doesn't? I don't know if he can ever be what I wanted him to be."

"You can't help who you love, Sakura-chan."

Sakura cocked her head to the side quizzically as she looked at him.

"Really? But you love me, yet you're letting me be with him and trying to be with Hinata."

Naruto turned to her and frowned.

"Sakura-chan, what do you want from me? I did what I could. You're always going to love him. I can't do anything about it."

"I want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy too, Naruto."

"Eventually I will be. Don't worry about me."

"But I do, Naruto. I've always worried about you."

"Well, you don't have to. My unhappiness is my business."

"Naruto... I'll never let you suffer if there's something I can do to help. Wouldn't you do the same for me?"

Naruto sighed.

"Of course I would, but there's nothing you can do."

Sakura locked eyes with him while wearing a serious expression.

"I think you're wrong. It's clear to me now that there is one thing I can do."

The blonde gave her a miserable look.

"Sakura-chan, don't. It's not what you want."

"Forget about what I want. Naruto, wouldn't it make you happy to be with me?"

"Of course it would. More than anything. But it can't happen. You love him, not me."

"What do I feel for you, then?"

"I don't know."

"Doesn't the fact that I want to do this for you mean that I feel something strongly towards you?"

"It might, but it's clearly not the same as it was with Sasuke. You had no doubts when it came to how you felt about him."

"Okay, so what? Who's to say that this isn't how it's supposed to be? Maybe it's different depending on the person."

Naruto glared at Sakura, who was now smiling.

"Sakura-chan, that's enough. This is ridiculous. Are you even attracted to me?"

Sakura nodded.

"Of course. You look a lot like your father, and it's been said that he was the most handsome shinobi who ever lived. You're handsome just like he was."

"People actually say that about my dad?"

"They do. And you're the same, Naruto. You could probably have any woman you wanted. I don't understand why you'd pick me."

Naruto's expression softened and he gazed at her fondly.

"It's because... You're Sakura-chan."

Sakura blushed deeply and looked at the ground.

"Naruto... Is Sasuke-kun ever going to think of me the way you do? Be honest with me."

Naruto paused and frowned before answering.

"... No. He was really cruel to you in the past. I really can't imagine that he could ever feel the way I do about you."

"Then, Naruto... Why should I be with him? I want to be with someone who thinks about me the way you do. Do you really want me to spend my life with someone who doesn't love me the way you think I deserve?"

Naruto stared at her for a few seconds before sighing.

"No, I don't. I wanted you to be with me. I still do."

The pinkette lifted her head to meet his eyes with a neutral expression.

"Then I'll be with you, Naruto."

"But you can't. You love Sasuke."

"But I don't want to love him. I want to love you."

"But you don't!"

"We'll figure it out, Naruto. We've solved so many problems together. There's no way that this one could be the hardest."

Naruto frowned more deeply.

"It's harder than you think. When Sasuke comes back, you're going to want to be with him. You'd hate me for getting involved with you."

"I could never hate you. There's no way that will happen."

"Well, even if you didn't, it would destroy me to lose you to him. It would be so much worse than if we were never together."

"Then, I promise that I won't leave you for him."

"Even that doesn't work. You will just be miserable with me, and I wouldn't be able to stand that."

"What else can we do, then?"

Naruto crossed his arms and bowed his head in thought for a few moments.

"Wait for him to come back. If you still want to be with me then, we'll try."

Sakura looked at him pleadingly.

"I don't want to do that! I feel like I'm going to lose you if I don't do something. Life is short, Naruto. I don't want to end up like Shishou."

"Well... I guess we could go find him and talk to him about this. I'm sure he would be open to that. Then you could make a better decision."

"Okay, but we don't even know where he is."

"Kakashi-sensei should know. I'll ask him. I'm sure I can get permission for us to go since it's to find Teme. When do you want to leave?"

"I guess we can leave tomorrow. I can get time off from the hospital."

"Well, do you want to meet at the gates at dawn?"

Naruto had a tentative expression on his face. Sakura frowned at him.

"Sure, I'll be there. But, Naruto, I don't think that this was fair to me. You never told me how you really felt towards me. Then you come to me and say that we can't be close anymore because I'm supposed to be with Sasuke-kun. I don't even know how he feels about me. He might not even want to be with me. Don't just decide things like that on your own."

"But, Sakura-chan, even if he doesn't, it doesn't mean you can just choose to love me. It doesn't work like that and I think you know that. I feel like you're just taking pity on me."

"Naruto, you couldn't be more wrong. But you can think what you want. I'm leaving. See you tomorrow."

/

The pair had started traveling to a town in Mist Country where Kakashi had said Sasuke was supposed to be staying. The journey would take about two days.

Naruto turned to look at Sakura.

"Sakura-chan, are you really sure about this? We haven't gotten far, so we could still go back."

"Yes, I'm sure."

"But, Sakura-chan. If we tell Sasuke about this, he might not want to be with you anymore."

"Then we should tell him. It'll make things easier."

"I don't think you really mean that."

Sakura glared at him with some irritation and stopped walking.

"Naruto, why is it always so hard for you to trust that I'm telling the truth? I said that I would be with you, so I will. Let me worry about what I feel for Sasuke-kun. If he doesn't want to be with me, then that only makes things simpler for everyone. I don't want my feelings for him to keep hurting you. I'm willing to give them up because I can't stand this feeling that you're drifting further and further away from me. I can't stand feeling like it hurts you to look at me. It's obvious that your feelings for me are causing this because I haven't returned them. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to see that, but I finally understand now. And I won't allow this to continue now that there's something I can do about it. I care about you too much to leave things the way they are. Can't you understand that?"

"I just find it so hard to believe that this is really what you want to do. You shouldn't sacrifice your happiness for me."

"Even if that's what I'm doing, and I don't think it is, I'd gladly do it for you. You were ready to do the same."

Naruto looked at her meaningfully.

"But I don't want to force you to be with me, Sakura-chan. Wouldn't you rather be with him than with me?"

"I don't know. What I do know is that you care for me more than I thought was even possible. And I'm almost sure I feel the exact same way."

"Really, Sakura-chan...? So if both Teme and I were falling, and you could only save one of us, which one would you save?"

"I would probably try to save both of you, even if it meant I'd fail to save anyone. I'm foolish like that."

Sakura smiled at Naruto as he smiled back at her and laughed.

"Haha... I'm the same. But what if we were really far away from each other, and you knew beyond a doubt that you could only save one of us?"

"I would save you. You're definitely the most important person to me."

"... Really?"

Sakura nodded calmly.

"Yes... I'm sure I would. And Sasuke-kun would do the same if it were you and me. There's something unique about you, Naruto. There are a lot of people who would consider you their most important person."

"But that doesn't mean you love me more than him, that just means I'm too important for the world to lose. That doesn't help us, Sakura-chan."

"Tell me, Naruto... Who's the most important for you? You're a lot of people's most important person, but there's only one of you. So who's your most precious person?"

"... You are."

"Don't you see? You're the most important person to so many people, and I'm just one of them. But you love me. How could I not feel the same?"

"I don't know if that makes sense. You've always thought about him romantically. I'm not sure how long you've thought romantically about me. I wasn't sure that you ever did."

"I guess the earliest would have been when you returned from traveling with Jiraiya-sama."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"But, that was a long time ago. How can that be? What about Teme?"

"You know, it's not unheard of to have feelings for more than one person."

"You mean... I had a chance with you the whole time?"

Sakura gave him a deadpan look.

"Naruto... I did tell you that I loved you. Even though you didn't believe me, and I was a little conflicted, you clearly had more than just a chance."

"But... I didn't want... I don't know anymore."

"Naruto, you didn't have to worry about making me happy. If it would have made you happy to be with me, you should have taken that happiness. It hurts to see you being so selfless all the time."

"But I couldn't. I knew I could get him back. And I wanted you to make a real choice."

Sakura stepped closer to him with a look of frustration on her face. Naruto shied backwards a step.

"But you took it out of my hands, Naruto. It didn't feel like you were trying to give me a choice, it felt like you were choosing for me. And that situation was not at all easy for me. I felt that I needed to give up my feelings for Sasuke-kun because they were hurting both of us. I wasn't ready to, but I wanted to do it for the two of us. Why couldn't you have just let me do it? I was trying to make things easier for both of us! The way things turned out, I feel like you pushed me towards him."

"I don't know. I just didn't believe you were being honest with the way you said those things."

"I was nervous. So many people were watching us. And I was really torn over everything that was happening."

"If you felt torn, didn't I do the right thing?"

"I really don't know if you did or not. I thought that we could be together and then it would be easier to deal with the problems that Sasuke-kun was causing. Instead, I was alone."

Naruto sighed in resignation.

"I'm sorry... I guess I should have handled it differently... I don't know."

"It's alright. I shouldn't have sprung that on you like I did. I should have told you everything so that we could have figured out what to do together, but I didn't want you to have to learn that Sasuke-kun was a missing nin."

"Haha. It seems like we're always trying to protect each other from something."

They both smiled.

"Aren't we supposed to be a team, Naruto? We should try to fix things together instead of trying to do everything alone to spare the other person."

"Yeah, but we don't have a great track record when it comes to that."

"Let's... Let's try to change that, Naruto."

/

They had walked quite a long distance. The sun was setting as they walked side by side. Sakura turned to Naruto and spoke up.

"How do you feel about Hinata?"

"I don't know. I guess I like her."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"But you don't love her?"

"No, I don't think so. When I'm around her, I've never felt the way I do with you."

"Do you think you could grow to love her?"

Naruto looked down, lost in thought, before looking up to meet her eyes.

"I don't know... All I know is that when I'm around you, I feel like I never want to leave. And I've never felt that way about anyone else."

"Do you think you could ever feel that way about someone else?"

"I don't know."

Sakura looked off at the scenery. They walked in silence for a while.

"Naruto... Would you want to feel that way about someone else?"

"Honestly... No, I wouldn't. Even if you never felt the same way, I feel like I wouldn't be myself anymore if I loved someone else. Loving you has become a part of who I am, so I want to continue to love you."

"And I said I want to love you, too. So we both want to love each other. Isn't that good enough?"

"Wanting to love someone and actually loving them aren't the same thing, Sakura-chan. Did you decide you wanted to love Sasuke the way you decided you wanted to love me?"

The pinkette chuckled softly.

"Actually, I did. Almost everyone I knew liked him, and I wanted to be popular. So I decided I was in love with him. But I only grew really attached to him after we became a team."

"Oh."

/

It had gotten very dark, so they stopped to rest for the night. After making camp, they sat next to each other in front of the campfire in awkward silence for a while until Sakura timidly spoke up.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I had you make that promise."

"It's okay. I wanted to. And I wanted him back, too."

"But I realize now that even back then, you must have loved me. I made you promise to bring him back even though you loved me and bringing him back would mean you would probably lose me. I'm so sorry, Naruto. I'm horrible."

"But... That was why I loved you so much. I loved that determination and devotion that you had. I just wished that you would feel those things for me."

The pinkette smiled softly.

"Naruto... I do."

Naruto opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again. He was silent for a while before speaking again.

"I guess you do. I'm sorry that I keep doubting you, Sakura-chan. You really are an amazing person."

Naruto looked over at Sakura. She continued smiling to herself as she gazed into the fire.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, they continued on their journey to Mist Country. They walked down the road side by side. Sakura turned to look at Naruto with a thoughtful expression.

"Hey, Naruto? I have a question."

He turned to look her in the eyes.

"Okay, Sakura-chan. Shoot."

"Why do you have such a hard time believing that people care about you? I understand that because of being the jinchuuriki for Kurama, you didn't think highly of yourself. But that shouldn't mean that after you gain real friends, and are even the hero of the entire village, you still can't believe that you mean something to them."

"I don't know. I guess when I was growing up, people would do cruel things. They would pretend like they wanted to help me or be my friend, but at the last moment they'd run off laughing, or do something even worse. The only person who I could really trust was the Sandaime. I guess even now, I can't help but wait for the other shoe to drop."

Sakura's eyes softened at this.

"That's awful... I'm really sorry. I wish I could have been there for you. I really do."

"I believe you. Thanks, Sakura-chan."

"But do you really? You seemed to think that I would want to be with Sasuke-kun no matter how much it would hurt you."

Naruto frowned.

"Well, you always loved him. It's not your fault that it would hurt me, Sakura-chan. And you wouldn't be obligated to do anything about it. That's the part I don't understand, I guess."

"Thinking about it now, it is a little strange. But when I think about trying to ignore it, it hurts me to even consider it, Naruto. It hurts so much to think about you suffering because of me. Especially if I could do something about it."

"Okay, but don't you think you would eventually get over it?"

Sakura shook her head. She looked at him resolutely.

"No. Even if you got over it, I never would. I would never be able to come to terms with the fact that you were suffering, you were slipping away from me, and I chose to do nothing about it because there was something I wanted. I would never be able to forgive myself for that."

Naruto stared blankly at her.

"Really? Wow..."

"I think you'll find that this isn't the craziest thing I've ever done for you, Naruto."

Sakura stopped walking. She pulled up the sleeve on her tunic, revealing some faint marks on her arm. Naruto's eyes widened when he stopped to take a look.

"Remember how this happened?" she asked.

"Yes, but... I don't understand. That was my fault. I hurt you... I've never forgiven myself for it."

"Naruto... I thought Yamato-taichou told you what really happened."

Naruto eyed the marks angrily.

"He did! It wasn't Orochimaru, it was me! I attacked you... What else is there?"

The pinkette sighed and rubbed her arm self-consciously.

"Naruto... I was safe. I was far away from you when you were like that, but... When I saw that you were suffering, and that it was in part because of the promise that I had you make... I couldn't stand by and do nothing. I ran towards you to try to tell you that I'd save Sasuke-kun for you. That it was okay. That you didn't have to worry about that promise. But you didn't hear me and I got hurt. It was really my fault that it happened."

"But why would you do that, Sakura-chan?! You could've been killed! You knew I wasn't in control anymore! So why...?"

Naruto had a confused and desperate expression on his face as Sakura gazed at him unflinchingly.

"Because, Naruto... You were in pain, and I had to try to do something to help you. I couldn't stand by and watch you suffer. And this situation is no different. You're suffering because you're in love with me. Because I didn't see that you needed me to return your feelings. And because of how I felt about Sasuke-kun. You're hurt, and it's because of me. That is the worst feeling in the world for me. I can't stand by when you're being hurt. I have to do something to help you, and this is the only thing that I can do. So I'll return your love the best that I can. I'll be there for you as much as I can. I'll give you as much of my heart as I can. I'll show you as much love as I possibly can. From now on, I'll be yours. Because I will not allow you to be hurt. It's as simple as that. I will love you even though it means I have to stop loving Sasuke-kun. Because to do anything less would mean letting you suffer, and I could never do that. I could never abandon you when you need me the most. It's okay if you still can't understand why I feel this way. Just know that I do. And because I do, I can't stand by and let something like this hurt you. Because it's you, Naruto. When it comes to you, I refuse to stand by. I would rather die."

Naruto stared at her wide-eyed. He blinked a few times in disbelief. His eyes darted between her face and the marks on her arm.

"Sakura-chan... I don't know what to say."

Sakura took a small step closer to him. The blonde blinked again.

"You don't have to say anything. But I need you to understand at least this much. Don't feel guilty or feel like you'd be selfish to accept this. If anyone's being selfish, it's me. I'm doing this for me. I can't stand to lose you or to watch you be unhappy. It would have completely destroyed me to know that I was the cause of that. I'm so glad you finally told me what was wrong. To choose between your happiness and my fantasy of being with Sasuke-kun isn't a choice at all for me, Naruto. I've always felt strongly about him. But I could never bring myself to hurt you for him or for anyone else. Please try to understand."

Sakura watched Naruto with concern for a few moments. He finally nodded.

"... Okay, Sakura-chan... I think I understand."

Sakura gave him a smile of reassurance before resuming her walk down the road. Naruto was still too stunned to do much more than gaze at her back as she walked away. After some time, he was finally able to recover. He ran to catch up with her.

/

They had traveled through the morning and most of the afternoon before finally arriving in Mist Country. Naruto looked over at Sakura and smiled at the thought that they were close to their destination.

"We should be able to get there before sunset. In a few hours, Team 7 will be reunited again."

Sakura smiled back at him.

"Okay. I'm glad that you're feeling better about this, Naruto. I didn't want to give you any more reason to feel sad about me."

Naruto nodded.

"Well, I've had a chance to think about it more. And I realized that if our positions were reversed, I would have done the exact same thing. I'd never be able to abandon you either, Sakura-chan. Not for Hinata, Teme, or anyone. And it makes me really happy that you care about me so much. That's all, I guess."

Sakura had a downcast expression on her face at hearing this, but Naruto hadn't seen it. They continued walking for some time until Sakura spoke up nervously.

"Naruto..."

Naruto stopped walking and looked at her with concern. She stopped and turned to look at him.

"Sakura-chan, what's wrong?"

"Naruto, I'm worried. Do you really want to do this? If you want, we can leave."

"I thought this was what we decided to do. Now you're saying you want to go back to Konoha?"

Sakura fixed the blonde with a determined gaze.

"No, not back to Konoha. We could just go somewhere and find a place for the two of us. We could get married and start a family away from the world of ninja. I'm sure we would be happy, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"But... Why, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura stared at him. Her eyes were starting to water. She looked away and blinked a few times in succession before locking eyes with him desperately.

"I thought I was sure about all this. But I've been thinking. What if I'm wrong? I've acted so helpless around Sasuke-kun. I'm not like that around anyone else. What if you were right, and I'm hopelessly in love with him? You know I can't bear to hurt you. If I never see him again, I know that we'd always be happy like this. I wouldn't think about him anymore. But if we keep going... Well, I'm really scared, Naruto."

Naruto had a tranquil expression on his face as he listened to Sakura.

"Sakura-chan... It's fine. Don't worry about me."

"But, Naruto... This is your chance to be selfish for once. We could be happy together. Please at least consider it. I need to be able to live with myself. I'd hate myself if I hurt you again. I'd hate it if I couldn't love you like you deserve. I couldn't bear it if I destroyed your confidence in me. If there's even a small chance of that, I don't want to risk it. It's been wonderful traveling with you. I finally feel like we're close again. It's just like the way things used to be. I never want us to become distant again. I never want Sasuke-kun to take your place. Why don't we just go-"

"Sakura-chan, you don't have to worry. I'll be okay with whatever happens."

The pinkette looked at him blankly.

"But... How can you say that?"

Naruto gave her a warm smile.

"Because... The fact that you're willing to do that for me makes me happier than you could ever imagine. The look in your eyes when you said that... I think that's what I've been dreaming of for a long time. That's what I fell in love with. You finally showed it to me. And it was just for me. Nothing could have made me happier. No matter what happens, I don't think I could ever forget it."

Sakura smiled back and nodded.

"... Okay. Let's keep going."

/

A small town was visible on the horizon. They would arrive soon. Sakura looked over at Naruto.

"Naruto, how do you feel?"

"Fine, I guess."

"Aren't you worried about what I was talking about before?"

Naruto shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess I am. But I never really believed that I would ever get to be with you. I never thought I had any chance to win you over from him. So this is already like a dream for me. Even if you ended up changing your mind, I'd still be happy that you thought I was worth all this."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at this. She stopped walking. Naruto stopped and turned to look at her.

"What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"

"Naruto, I want to tell you a story. Do we have time to take a break?"

"Yeah, it should be fine. It doesn't really matter when we arrive."

"Okay. This is a story about me from when I was taking the Chunin Exams."

Sakura had a serious expression on her face. Naruto grinned excitedly.

"You mean, your second one, when you became a Chunin? That sounds great. I never really got to hear what happened. I'm sure you blew everyone else away."

Sakura chuckled.

"Sure, my second one. Anyway, don't interrupt me until I'm done."

"Okay, I won't."

The blonde watched her with interest as she began to recount the tale.

"I was taking the written portion with my team. It was easy for me since I've studied so much, so I solved all the problems easily. But I was concerned about my team members. If any of us failed, it would mean we'd all get kicked out. One of them was-"

"Who was on your team for the second exam? Sorry, I know you've told me before, but I forgot."

"Naruto! I told you not to interrupt. It's really not important."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"Anyway, I was worried about my team members being able to solve the problems. Then, the proctor announced that anyone who got a certain problem wrong would not only fail, they'd never be able to take the exams again and would be a Genin forever. They said that anyone who didn't want to take that risk should raise their hand, which would fail their entire team."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, but didn't interrupt this time.

"And I was really worried, because one of my teammates really needed to be able to take the exams. He had a dream that he needed to rise in rank to achieve. He really wasn't good at things like tests. And I knew he would never raise his hand. I was so scared for him. I thought about it, and I realized that I cared more about him being able to achieve his dream than I did about any of us passing the exam. So I decided to raise my hand. To save him."

Gears were turning in Naruto's head as Sakura continued.

"I remember thinking that I couldn't bear to see the look on his face if he couldn't achieve his dream. I couldn't bear to see him crushed. To see him miserable to know that his dream would never be a reality. And in that moment, I would have done anything to save him from that. His happiness had become more important to me than anything else."

The pinkette took a deep breath. She was gazing off into the distance as she reflected on the memory.

"I wanted to protect his dream, no matter what. But he wasn't like me. He wasn't worried. He was a man of real courage. He was a true shinobi who lived his life without doubts. So before I could raise my hand, he stood up and challenged the proctor. He said he would never run away. And that even if he had to be a Genin forever, he would still achieve his dream. No matter what happened in that room... He would become Hokage."

Sakura turned her head to look at Naruto, who was gaping at her with wide eyes.

"I know what you're thinking. Yes, Naruto... It was you."

"But... I never would have thought... That was so long ago... Weren't you worried about Teme?" Naruto asked.

"I did worry about him a lot, later on. But at the time, I didn't think about him at all. All I could think about was how hurt you would be if you could never have your dream. I wanted to save you from that. For me, protecting your happiness was more important than anything else. And it still is."

"But Teme... He really wanted to fight Gaara and the other strong guys... Didn't you think about how he might get mad at you if you raised your hand?"

"At that time, no. Not until I told Ino about it... But then, I got really confused."

"How so?"

The pinkette had a small smile on her face.

"When I told Ino that I was ready to do that for you, she said the same thing to me that you just did. And then she got angry at me. She said that would have been a stupid thing to do. She said I didn't deserve to be on Sasuke-kun's team if I was going to look out for an idiot like you instead of him. The thing is, I agreed with her. If I was in her place, I would probably have said the same thing. So that didn't bother me. I told her that she had a point and that I wasn't sure what was going through my head at the time. But then she said something else. She said that someone like you could never become Hokage anyway, so it wouldn't have mattered. And that... did make me angry. I started yelling at her. I told her that she had no right to say that. I told her that you would be a great Hokage. She was really surprised."

Both Sakura and Naruto grinned at this.

"Back then, I couldn't understand why I got so angry. But today, as we're standing here like this... I can understand," Sakura continued.

Naruto looked at her curiously. She gazed out at the town for a few moments before speaking up again.

"It was because... You're very special to me, Naruto."

She smiled softly at him and started to walk towards their destination. Naruto walked alongside her in thought. After some time, he spoke.

"What... do you mean by special?"

"You mean the world to me. I always want the best for you. I'm always worrying about you because I need to know that you'll be alright. And I never want you to go far away from me. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I couldn't look after you anymore. The thought of being with Sasuke-kun in a world where you're lost to me... It's horrible, Naruto. I could never live like that. I could never live without you. You're far too precious to me."

Sakura suddenly stepped in front of Naruto and surprised him by pulling him into a gentle hug. He recovered after a moment and tentatively returned the embrace. Then the pinkette spoke again, more softly than before.

"I really mean it. Back then, I already felt that way. But it's gotten much stronger over time. Now you're so important to me that I don't think I even have a choice in the matter anymore. I won't be able to rest easy unless I can see that you're happy."

Sakura tilted her head to look up at Naruto and they made eye contact. His eyes widened as her voice grew even quieter, though it didn't quite reach the level of a whisper.

"Naruto... From now on... Can't you stay with me so that I can take care of you?"

Naruto just gazed at her in wonderment. The pinkette blushed and slowly pulled away from him.

"... Of course, Sakura-chan. Nothing could make me as happy as you do."

Sakura only smiled in response.

/

They arrived at the small town. The sun was setting over the horizon. It was mostly desolate but for a few people walking around who paid little notice to the two ninja.

"Kakashi-sensei said he's been staying here for the past few weeks. I don't think he's going to know we're coming, so it'll be a surprise."

"But how are we going to find him?"

"Let's just look around. There aren't many places he could possibly be."

They eventually made it to a tavern in the center of town. It was significantly larger than the other buildings. The pair walked inside.

They looked around. It wasn't very crowded and most tables were empty. In a dark corner, Naruto saw a familiar face sitting next to a tall white-haired man who was a member of the Houzuki clan. There was a large sword resting on the table. Sasuke's cloak was hanging off of the chair he was sitting in.

Naruto tapped Sakura on the shoulder and pointed Sasuke out to her. He started walking over to him. Sakura hesitated before following after him with tentative steps. When they got closer, Sasuke's eyes widened as he noticed them. The Houzuki glanced at them dismissively.

"Hey, Teme," Naruto said.

"Dobe. Sakura. What are you two doing here?" Sasuke replied with some apprehension.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad. Can we talk?"

"This is your team?" the man asked Sasuke.

"Hn. They are. Leave us, Suigetsu."

The man glared at him, picked up the sword and stomped off. Naruto and Sakura sat down across from Sasuke.

"So, what do you guys want?" Sasuke said.

"Um, I'm not sure what we need from you exactly. But we had to come see you," Naruto replied.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and glanced at Sakura, who was looking down at the table.

"I don't get it."

"Sakura-chan can probably explain it better than I can."

Sakura raised her head to look at Sasuke. She didn't know how to explain it either.

"Well... I'm not sure what to say... I guess for starters, Sasuke-kun, what do you think of me?" the pinkette said.

Sasuke looked at her strangely.

"I'm not sure what you mean. You're an important friend to me."

"I mean, are you interested in me? Do you want to be with me?"

"I haven't really thought about that, yet. I guess so. I guess I was going to try. Both of you did everything that you could for me, and that dedication saved my life. So I'm willing to give it the best shot that I can."

Sakura frowned.

"So you'd be with me out of gratitude, then? Not love?"

Sasuke shrugged.

"I guess that's accurate. I'm sorry."

Sakura's eye twitched. She looked a little angry.

"But, how could you do that?!"

Sasuke looked back at her with wide eyes.

"Look, it's the best I can really do. I'm not familiar with that kind of love."

The pinkette was actually glaring at him now. Naruto watched the exchange nervously.

"No, Sasuke-kun, how could you do that to Naruto?! He risked so much trying to save you! You would be dead if he didn't care about you so much! But now you're just going to be with me when you don't even love me?!"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto before looking back at Sakura. The blonde had a sheepish expression on his face.

"I don't understand. What does Naruto have to do with all this?"

In frustration, Sakura slammed her fist on the table. The two male members of Team 7 flinched.

"He loves me! He really loves me with all his heart! He's been hurting for a long time over my feelings for you. I don't know if he can ever be happy without me. And you, you're just going to take me away for the hell of it after he did so much for you? How could you? Ooh, I can't believe that you'd try to do that! What's wrong with you, Sasuke-kun?! I really expected better from you! Well, I'm never going to-"

Sasuke raised a hand to interrupt her and glanced at Naruto again.

"Hold on. I did ask him about you, and he never said anything like that. Actually, he said I needed to give you a chance."

"What?!"

Sakura also looked at Naruto, but in a much less casual way than Sasuke had done.

"Oh. I get it. I'm supposed to be happy with him, right?" she said.

Naruto just shrugged. Sasuke looked at him with a deadpan expression.

"You. Stupid. Dobe."

Sakura sighed.

"Well, that settles that. Sasuke-kun, I release you from trying to return my feelings."

"Hn."

The pinkette examined Sasuke quizzically.

"There's something I don't understand, though. This all started because Naruto told me that I was special to him. But I thought I was special to you, too. I thought so ever since that day we became a team."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"I don't remember doing anything special back then."

"You... you don't? But I remember it like it was yesterday. You said you liked my forehead. And I nearly kissed you."

Naruto tried to sink further into his chair.

"That... doesn't sound familiar. I don't know what you remember, but it certainly wasn't me."

"But it was you... Why are you denying it?"

Sasuke glanced at the sinking Naruto and smirked.

"I remember one thing about that day, though. Some idiot managed to defeat me and tie me up with ropes. It took a while for me to get out of them."

"You're saying that... It was Naruto...?"

Naruto just grinned sheepishly. Sakura was staring down at the table with a blank expression.

"I'm sorry... I should have said something... I don't know why I never did," Naruto said.

"Because. You. Are. A. Stupid. Dobe." Sasuke said.

Sakura stood up and glared at Naruto murderously.

"Naruto... We are returning to Konoha now. Goodbye, Sasuke-kun."

The pinkette grabbed Naruto by his collar and started to drag him out.

"Teme... Help..." Naruto muttered weakly.

"See you in a few years, Sakura and Dobe," Sasuke said.

A smirk was still present on his face.

/

They were on the road heading back to Konoha. Sakura was walking far ahead of Naruto. She finally stopped and let him catch up, but didn't turn to look at him.

"I can't believe you did that. Do you know how significant that was for me? And you never told me! You seriously never told me! I really can't believe this."

"Sakura-chan, I'm sorry. I didn't want to ruin it for you."

"If you were going to let me be happy being with whoever you're going to let me be with, you could have at least given me all of the information."

"I'm really sorry. I'll never do it again."

"You'd better not! Do you have any idea how much would have changed if I had known that? I thought that he secretly liked me and he was just too shy to say anything. But he was actually never interested in me. Now I feel like a complete fool."

"You're not, Sakura-chan... It was my fault."

"You're damn right it was your fault. And it's your fault we had to go on this trip. We wouldn't have had to do this if you hadn't done that back then."

Naruto's eyes widened. Sakura finally turned to glare at him properly.

"We wouldn't have had to...? Sakura-chan, does that mean...?"

Sakura had a faint blush on her face though she was still glaring at him. Naruto just smiled hopefully. After a few moments, the pinkette finally relaxed into a wide, toothy grin.

"Yes... Don't worry about me giving anything up. It was you, Naruto. It was always you. You're everything to me. I love you!"

"I love you too, Sakura-chan... I'm so relieved. Is it okay if I kiss you?"

Sakura cleared her throat before regarding him with a serious expression. Naruto watched her with the same hopeful smile.

"You may... On one condition."

"What is it?"

The pinkette smiled warmly at him. Naruto's eyes widened in awe of how beautiful her smile was.

"Don't ever stop calling me Sakura-chan."


End file.
